Anise-scented fig and date swirls

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Firmly packed dried figs (as soft as possible)
1 cup Firmly packed pitted dates
⅓ cup Water
½ cup Plus 2 tablespoons granulated refined sugar
1¾ cup All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Ground anise seeds
¼ teaspoon Baking powder
¼ teaspoon Baking soda
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 Stick unsalted butter; softened
4 ounces Cream cheese
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 large Egg yolk
¼ cup Granulated raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)

Directions

In a blender puree figs and dates with water and 2 tablespoons refined sugar. In a bowl whisk together flour, anise, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, cream cheese, and remaining ½ cup refined sugar until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla, yolk, and flour mixture and beat until a dough forms. Form dough into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in waxed paper, 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

On a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 13 by 10-inch rectangle, about ⅓ inch thick. Drop fig mixture by spoonfuls onto dough and gently spread an even layer over dough.

Starting with a long side, roll dough jelly-roll fashion into a 13-inch log, using waxed paper as a guide. Roll log in raw sugar to coat. Chill log, wrapped in wax paper, 4 hours, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Cut log into ⅓-inch thick rounds and arrange about 2 inches apart on a baking sheets. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 13 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool.

Yield: 36 cookies

Recipe by: Cooking Live Show #CL8971 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #810 by "Angele and Jon Freeman" <jfreeman@...> on Sep 26, 1997

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